Ride the waves and reach the sea
Following the women’s thoughtful gazes out to sea, as their boats and men gradually disappeared into the distance, I felt my heart sinking. Witnessing the fishermen’s intense concentration to steer their boats through the waves, I could see the immense hardships of the near-shore fishing profession.
Summer, the season of going to sea, the season of squid fishing. The season of “earning rice” for fishermen, but this is also the season of the days of rising southerly winds, fishermen have to “struggle” with each fierce wave to keep a steady hand on the wheel, to overcome the waves and go out to sea to catch seafood. The stronger the wind blows, the more the boats sway, standing on the shore looking out it seems as if the waves could swallow the swaying boats. But with their experience and strength, fishermen still firmly steer the boats against the waves, heading out to sea.
It seems that all the fishermen with boats in Phu Dien fishing village are working at full capacity to go squid fishing. They go out to sea in the evening and return the next morning. Despite the humid days and strong waves, they still have a steady hand at the helm to go out to sea and earn extra income.
“Seeing the big waves and strong winds, but once we get past the waves hitting the shore, the sea is calmer. Although we don’t go fishing together, each boat goes its own way, but when we go out to sea we often contact each other, ask about each other, and take precautions against incidents, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Uncle Cang (Phu Dien, Phu Vang) reassured. Then he spread his arms firmly, waiting for the waves to hit the shore, using the force of the water to push the boat away, quickly stepping on the side of the boat and starting the engine to go out to sea. Uncle Cang brought with him a bottle of filtered water, a bowl of rice, some food, a net and fishing gear.
Around 5am the boats started to dock, but before 4am, the women of the fishing village were calling out to each other out to sea, waiting for the boats to return. The sea was still dark, but in the distance you could still see the bright green lights of dozens of fishing boats.
In the stories they tell each other, summer is not only the season of high-priced seafood, adding delicious dishes for them to cook for their husbands and children to take to the sea, but also the season of worries and restless sleep when their men spend the night at sea.
Each time a boat docks, the sun-tanned faces of the women of the fishing village shine brightly, like the dawn gradually rising over the sea. Their joy is that the pillars of the family return safely after a long night at sea.
Sea deer
For fishermen fishing near the shore along the Phu Vang coast, squid fishing season is a hard season, but also a time of good income, averaging from 1 million to 1.5 million VND/night.
“It’s hard to get through the waves, but if you go out about a kilometer, you can drop the line. Sitting and fishing is not too hard, the hardest part is having to stay awake all night, sometimes seeing fish swimming under the headlights, you can quickly scoop them up. When you hit a stream of squid, you can drop the line, pull the line to remove the squid continuously. The equipment is bamboo fishing rods, longer than your arm span. When the bait is dropped, under the bait is a bunch of hooks. The squid will see the light and come, the baits drift in the water, they think it’s real bait so they stick close and get hooked. Squid love light and are greedy for bait. When they see light, they come, and when they see bait, they never give up, so we just need to drop the line, occasionally jerking the line to make the hook go up and down, like a fish swimming. Squid fishing is that simple. If you’re lucky, you’ll only catch a fish after a few minutes of fishing, otherwise you’ll have to wait for an hour,” even though he returned after a sleepless night, Uncle Thang (Phu Dien) still happy to share
Looking at the squids still flickering, neatly arranged in rectangular baskets, sorted by size, one can see how much fishermen value their labor. Because earning money from the sea is never easy, whether it is a calm sea season or a monsoon season.
At 6am, the sun was already shining brightly, lighting up the entire beach. The last squid fishing boats had finally arrived, some with as little as 3kg, some with as much as 5kg. After helping their husbands turn the boats ashore, the women busily carried baskets of fresh squid to sell in time for the morning market, while the fishermen leisurely packed up their gear, strode across the beach with firm, healthy steps, returning home to catch up on sleep so they would have enough energy for the next fishing trip in the evening.
“The people who work in the nearshore fishing industry in our Phu Dien fishing villages are also starting to “grow old”, and there are also quite a few young people who take over the job. However, our generation has no other job besides going to sea, going to sea for a long time and “loving the sea” without realizing it, not going to sea makes them feel like they are missing something, their hands and feet are very bored. Now, they have more choices, but I don’t know if they can stick with this job of drifting at sea all year round, struggling with waves, wind, and water. The sea is a seasonal affair, some days are good, some days are bad, it’s not rich but not too bad either, just “pick up the pieces and you’ll make a pile”, earning millions every day is normal. It’s the same with any job, manual labor is hard, but seeing the results every day, the fresh, shiny products brought back is very joyful. Even more joyful is when the boat docks and sees the “wife” waiting with a radiant smile”!
So, the life of a fisherman is hard but also peaceful and happy.
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